Los Angeles, California (October 15, 2012) – Students and staff at Los Angeles Valley College planted 30 trees from the Arbor Day Foundation this afternoon, in celebration of the campus commitment to tree care and conservation.

Los Angeles Valley College is the first college or university in the Los Angeles area to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA and is also the first community college to participate in the program.

Today's volunteer effort is one of five tree planting events sponsored by the Foundation and Toyota during the fall of 2012 to give students and staff the opportunity to participate in hands-on conservation activities. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, or AASHE, was also a partner in today's tree planting.

Today, 30 trees were planted near the Theatre Arts Department in the North Mall area of the Los Angeles Valley College campus, which is located in the Valley Glen neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.

"We're excited to share the spirit of stewardship with students and staff at Los Angeles Valley College," said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "The Foundation and Toyota look forward to growing the program in Southern California and among community colleges throughout the country."

The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is supported by a generous grant from Toyota.

During 2011, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota helped campuses throughout the country plant 30,000 trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities have invested more than $22 million in campus forest management. More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.

About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of one million members, with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org, or by visiting us on Facebook, Twitter or our blog.

About Toyota: Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed over half a billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S. For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.